Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra*, London Symphony Orchestra† / Robert
Kajanus

Offered a grant in 1930 to
broaden international interest in Finnish music through recordings
made in London, Jean Sibelius did not hesitate in his choice of a
conductor, writing that “there are none who have gone deeper
and given [my symphonies] more feeling and beauty than Robert
Kajanus”. These thrilling recordings remain a critical
reference today, with Kajanus seen as “Sibelius’s most
eloquent and perceptive champion… listening to the Second
Symphony one senses the extraordinary feeling Kajanus had for the
organic nature of Sibelius’s symphonic thought” (The
Gramophone). Including the exotic and enticing Belshazzar’s
Feast and patriotic Karelia suites, this is the second of three
volumes containing Robert Kajanus’s complete Sibelius
recordings.